Abigail (1 Samuel 25:3; 1 Samuel 25:18–19; 1 Samuel 25:23–31; 1 Samuel 25:32–35; 1 Samuel 25:36–38; 1 Samuel 25:39–43; 1 Samuel 27:3; 1 Samuel 30:5; 1 Samuel 30:18; 2 Samuel 2:2; 2 Samuel 3:3; 1 Chronicles 3:1)

Woman of Good Understanding, Wife of David

The wife of Nabal the Carmelite, a woman of good understanding, who made haste to meet David with a gift, took the blame upon herself, kept him from bloodguiltiness, and after Nabal died became David's wife and the mother of his second son born at Hebron.

She is introduced at Carmel, where her husband, a man of Maon, was shearing his sheep: “Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail; and the woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings” (1 Samuel 25:3). When Nabal answered David's young men with scorn, one of Nabal's young men told Abigail, and she “made haste” (1 Samuel 25:18), loading provisions on donkeys and going to meet David, who had sworn to leave of all that pertained to Nabal not one man-child. She fell at David's feet and said, “Upon me, my lord, upon me be the iniquity” (1 Samuel 25:24).

David answered, “Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who sent thee this day to meet me” (1 Samuel 25:32). When she told Nabal in the morning, “his heart died within him, and he became as a stone” (1 Samuel 25:37), and about ten days after, “Jehovah smote Nabal, so that he died” (1 Samuel 25:38). David then sent for her, and she “went after the messengers of David, and became his wife” (1 Samuel 25:42).

She is named with David at Gath, among those taken captive when the Amalekites burned Ziklag, and among those David rescued (1 Samuel 27:3; 30:5, 18). She went up with him to Hebron (2 Samuel 2:2), where a son was born to her. One list names him “Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite” (2 Samuel 3:3); the other calls the second son “Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess” (1 Chronicles 3:1). The New Testament does not name her.

Strengths

• Good understanding
• Making haste
• Taking the blame upon herself
• Discretion that kept David from bloodguiltiness
• Confidence that the LORD would make David a sure house
• Bringing a gift for the young men

Themes

• Good understanding
• Bloodguiltiness averted
• Folly and discretion
• The LORD pleads the cause
• Wife of David

Wife of Nabal in Carmel (1 Samuel 25:1–13)

Nabal, a very great man of Maon whose possessions were in Carmel, is churlish and answers David's ten young men with scorn, and David bids his men gird on their swords.

Abigail hears and makes haste (1 Samuel 25:14–19)

A young man tells Abigail that Nabal railed at David's messengers, and she makes haste to send provisions ahead of her and tells not her husband.

Abigail's plea to David (1 Samuel 25:20–31)

She meets David as he comes down toward her, falls before him, takes the iniquity upon herself, and speaks of the LORD's keeping him from bloodguiltiness.

Abigail's plea to David

David had said, “God do so unto the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light so much as one man-child” (1 Samuel 25:22). “And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and alighted from her ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground” (1 Samuel 25:23).

She began, “Upon me, my lord, upon me be the iniquity; and let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thy handmaid. Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this worthless fellow, even Nabal; for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thy handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send” (1 Samuel 25:24-25).

She continued, “Now therefore, my lord, as Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing Jehovah hath withholden thee from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now therefore let thine enemies, and them that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal” (1 Samuel 25:26). She asked that the gift be given to the young men (1 Samuel 25:27), and said, “Forgive, I pray thee, the trespass of thy handmaid: for Jehovah will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fighteth the battles of Jehovah; and evil shall not be found in thee all thy days. And though men be risen up to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul, yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with Jehovah thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as from the hollow of a sling” (1 Samuel 25:28-29).

She ended: “And it shall come to pass, when Jehovah shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee prince over Israel, that this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood without cause, or that my lord hath avenged himself. And when Jehovah shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thy handmaid” (1 Samuel 25:30-31).

David blesses the LORD for her (1 Samuel 25:32–35)

David blesses the LORD and her discretion, receives what she brought, and bids her go up in peace.

David blesses the LORD for her

“And David said to Abigail, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who sent thee this day to meet me: and blessed be thy discretion, and blessed be thou, that hast kept me this day from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging myself with mine own hand” (1 Samuel 25:32-33).

He said that except she had hasted and come to meet him, “surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light so much as one man-child” (1 Samuel 25:34). “So David received of her hand that which she had brought him: and he said unto her, Go up in peace to thy house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person” (1 Samuel 25:35).

Nabal's feast and death (1 Samuel 25:36–38)

Abigail finds Nabal at a feast, very drunken, and tells him nothing until the morning; his heart dies within him, and about ten days after the LORD smites him.

Nabal's feast and death

“And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light” (1 Samuel 25:36).

“And it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, that his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. And it came to pass about ten days after, that Jehovah smote Nabal, so that he died” (1 Samuel 25:37-38).

Becomes David's wife (1 Samuel 25:39–43)

David blesses the LORD for pleading his cause and sends to take her to wife; she bows, rides after his messengers, and becomes his wife.

Becomes David's wife

“And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be Jehovah, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept back his servant from evil: and the evil-doing of Nabal hath Jehovah returned upon his own head. And David sent and spake concerning Abigail, to take her to him to wife” (1 Samuel 25:39).

When his servants came to her at Carmel, “she arose, and bowed herself with her face to the earth, and said, Behold, thy handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord. And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that followed her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife” (1 Samuel 25:41-42). “David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they became both of them his wives” (1 Samuel 25:43).

At Gath and at Ziklag (1 Samuel 27:1–4; 1 Samuel 30:1–6; 1 Samuel 30:18–19)

She dwells at Gath with David and his men; the Amalekites burn Ziklag and take her captive, and David recovers all and rescues his two wives.

At Hebron, mother of a son (2 Samuel 2:1–4; 2 Samuel 3:2–5; 1 Chronicles 3:1–3)

David goes up to Hebron with his two wives and is anointed king over Judah, and Abigail's son is listed second of the sons born to him there.

David (1 Samuel 25:32–35; 1 Samuel 25:39–42; 2 Samuel 2:2)

He blessed the LORD who sent her to meet him, and after Nabal's death sent to take her to wife.

Nabal (1 Samuel 25:3; 1 Samuel 25:36–38)

Her husband, of whom the text says he was churlish and evil in his doings; the LORD smote him and he died.

Ahinoam the Jezreelitess (1 Samuel 25:43; 1 Samuel 27:3; 1 Samuel 30:5; 2 Samuel 2:2)

David took her also, and the two are named together as his wives at Gath, Ziklag and Hebron.

Her son by David (2 Samuel 3:2–3; 1 Chronicles 3:1)

The second son born at Hebron, called Chileab in 2 Samuel 3:3 and Daniel in 1 Chronicles 3:1.

The LORD (1 Samuel 25:26; 1 Samuel 25:28–31)

She spoke of the LORD's keeping David from bloodguiltiness and of his making David a sure house.

Major sections

• 1 Samuel 25
• 1 Samuel 27:1–4
• 1 Samuel 30:1–19
• 2 Samuel 2:1–4
• 2 Samuel 3:2–5
• 1 Chronicles 3:1–3

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